Synopses & Reviews
A comprehensive, provocative examination of the embattled crossroads at which race relations in America intersect the criminal-justice system.
In this powerfully reasoned, lucidly written work -- destined to be in its own way as controversial as The Bell Curve -- Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy takes on a highly complex issue as no one has before. Kennedy not only uncovers the long-standing failure of the justice system to protect blacks from criminals, he also engages the debate over the wisdom and legality of using racial criteria in jury selection; analyzes the responses of the legal system to accusations that appeals to racial prejudice have rendered countless trials unfair; examines the idea that, under certain circumstances, members of one race are statistically more likely to be involved in crime than members of another; and probes allegations that blacks are victimized on a widespread basis by racially discriminatory prosecutions and punishments.
Free of ideological biases, Kennedy reveals difficult truths about race, crime, and law in the United States. Few books published this year will be as path-breaking and as important.
Synopsis
In this powerfully reasoned, lucidly written work, Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy takes on the highly complex issues of race, crime, and the legal system, uncovering the long-standing failure of the justice system to protect blacks from criminals and revealing difficult truths about these factors in the United States.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 474-513) and index.